TOP TEN: Info/Advice/& Fun Facts with Terrie Wolf of AKA LITERARY LLC
The Colorado/Wyoming region of the SCBWI is proud to announce Terrie Wolf as a faculty member for the September 2014 LETTERS AND LINES CONFERENCE.
Who is Terrie Wolf? Before becoming a literary agent, Terrie was an editor as well as a member of the international media. She studied English Literature at Cambridge University, Creative Writing at NYU and Journalism at CU-Denver. Terrie founded Wolf Literary Services, and in 2009 she co-founded AKA Literary.
The Letters and Lines Conference is said to be one of the most intimate ways a writer can connect with leaders in the publishing industry. To launch participants’ conference-connect experience, Terrie has generously agreed to answer the following ten questions:
1. SUCCESS STORY (the crème brulee): Hi, Terrie! Thank you in advance for serving
on the faculty at the upcoming RMC SCBWI conference, and for taking the time to
answer my questions. Before we get into the meat and potatoes (craft), I’d like
to start with dessert (contract). Please
tell us about one of your conference success stories.
Thank you very much for
including me. After several years in the conference and workshop “trenches” I’m
pleased to tell you I signed a conference participant. I was thrilled
by a proposal provided by Kathy Borrus at Writer’s Digest West Conference last
September. If you like to shop or travel you might recognize her name as Kathy
is the author of Five Hundred
Buildings of Paris, One Thousand Buildings of Paris, and The
Fearless Shopper. Her writing
has also appeared in The Washington Post, The
Boston Globe, Washington
Flyer, and Art Business
News among others. So, here
we are, ready to work on this adult piece when she mentioned an idea she had for a children’s
series of books. To say I was floored would be an understatement. Ask me
at the conference and I’ll fill you in! You’ll love her.
2. PUBLISHING PATH: I read that before you
were an agent, you were an editor with Hobson’s Press and also an award-winning
member of the media with NBC and CBS. How and why did you decide to become an
agent?
My father always said that if I was
stranded on a desert island, I’d be just fine as long as I had a fishing pole,
books to read and a phone so I could tell everyone I knew about the books I
read and the fish I caught. A series of events that included big trucks, freak
southern gales and patio umbrellas all taught me about resilience and allowed me (forced me) to
return to Colorado full time. The outlook may have seemed a little desolate in
the beginning but gave me the opportunity to slowly find my way back to
wellness. A few years ago I met an author whose work was witty and fresh. It
reignited my passion. The author asked me to act as her agent because she said
I talked about her work more than she did. That was the beginning. She was
right and I still proudly represent her. She tweets @CJDunham1. Get to know her!
3. YOUR NEXT CLIENT: In addition to other
genres, I understand you represent YA, Middle Grade, and Picture Book
writers…excellent! We all know agents
are looking for great and compelling writing, and the word on the street is you
pick story over genre. Please give us more insight into your preferences.
There’s so much that goes into this
process. I like to know what my editors are interested in finding but I also
ask readers what they would like to see. It’s really important to write the
story as it is meant to be written rather than for a trend or market. Good
stories just have a way of finding good homes.
4. Sometimes the Internet gets buzzing with
a lot of misinformation of where an agent is or isn’t. PLEASE TELL US
ABOUT 2012-2014
I took much of 2012 - 2013 and 2014 away
from work due to illness, the Black Forest Fire and the 2013
floods. I ran into the big three: my mother’s death, my father’s illness,
and I have been stalked daily since April 2013. It’s just part of the drill,
part of what helps me decide what I want to do. Usually what I want to do is
fall back and read.
Wow! That’s
a lot to shoulder. I’m sorry for your difficulties, and I admire your bravery
and determination. I’m glad to know your father is doing well again, and your
experiences are a testament to how books are friends to people during difficult
times—a point that moves me to the joyful side of life—READING: I’m sure you
would agree that in order to become great writers, we must first read, read,
and read! Writers should also know when shopping for an agent, they should read
the agent’s client’s books to help further reveal if the agent is the right
fit. Terrie, are you an editorial agent and if yes, tell us more?
I am an editorial agent, and proud of it. You
won’t see many of our works for some time due to the publishing schedule. Learn
what you can from every single book you pick up.
·
I encourage you to visit our website as a
way to familiarize yourself with our clients and their writing The new and
improved website should be up no later than Monday, September 22, 2014. It’s
been such a wonderful journey!
·
Upcoming Fact: our Kenley
Conrad’s HOLLY
HEARTS HOLLYWOOD will be released Tuesday, September 23, 2014 via Swoon an
imprint of Month9 Books.
5. FAVORITE BOOKS: What were some of your
favorite books as a child, and what are your current kid lit favorites (other
than the ones you represent J)?
I read everything from Louis L ‘Amour to
Zane Grey, Sports Afield and Boys’ Life. I still adore The Velveteen Rabbit,
Little House on the Prairie, and Black Beauty.
Current favorites:
-
Flora and Ulysses: The Illuminated
Adventures by Kate DiCamillo (Candlewick, 2013)
-
The One and Only Ivan by Katherine
Applegate (HC, 2012)
-
Kill Me Softly by Sarah Cross (Egmont, 2012)
-
Goodnight, Goodnight Construction Site by
Sherri Duskey Rinker (Chronicle Books, 2011)
-
And
the list goes on and on!
Helen Lester’s TACKY THE PENGUIN and A
PORCUPINE NAMED FLUFFY still make me giggle. I still love Jerdine Nolan’s
HARVEY POTTER’S BALLOON FARM, Robert Munsch’s I’LL LOVE YOU FOREVER, and
ROTTERS by Daniel Kraus are all favorites at this very moment. Ask me in ten
minutes as my list will change.
6. What’s on your wish list of future
projects to represent?
Three words: unforgettable, empowering and
unexpected. If I can find works that make me laugh out loud, that’s even
better.
7. What can you tell us about the state of
the publishing industry?
It has yet to bore me.
8. How does the answer above influence you
as an agent?
I am easily distracted.
9. Like I said, a special benefit of the
Letters and Lines Conference is attendees walk away knowing the faculty on a
more personal level. One fun fact about Terrie is that she knows sign language
and has served as an interpreter for the Deaf and Blind School in Colorado
Springs (cool!!). What’s another fun fact you’re willing to reveal?
I have a piano in my office.
10. THE MEAT AND POTATOES: What’s the final
word of advice that you would like writers to walk away with?
Be the writer your characters know you are. Be
kind, be loving and allow everyone around you to see your need for a place like
this one.
The pleasure is mine, really.
Writers who would like to query Terrie Wolf should email the query and the first ten pages of the manuscript (or full manuscript for picture books) in the body of the email (no attachements, please!) to aka@akaliterary.com. The AKA Literary website is being updated (due to be ready next week!), and Terrie will soon provide that address link so you can learn more. In the mean time, follow her on Twitter at @AKA_Terrie. Bonus piece of advice: it’s Terrie, not Terry. It’s Ms., not Mr. J
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